This invention relates to a booster useful for enhancing the effects of ultrasound in the therapy of various diseases and a pharmaceutical liquid composition containing the booster and a medicament which shows enhanced diffusion and penetration of the medicament into the body by applying ultrasound. More particularly, it relates to a booster useful for therapy of various disease by applying ultrasound which comprises a plurality of microbubbles of a gas in a liquid, a pharmaceutical liquid composition comprising a plurality of microbubbles of a gas and a medicament in a liquid, and the user thereof in the therapy of various diseases while applying ultrasound.
It is known that various diseases are remedied by the aid of ultrasonic vibration. For example, it is described in Japanese Patent First Publication (Kokai) No. 115591/1977, etc. that percutaneous absorption of a medicament is enhanced by applying an ultrasonic vibration. Japanese Patent First Publication (Kokai) No. 180275/1990 discloses a drug-injecting device which is effective on the diffusion and penetration of the drug by applying an ultrasonic vibration in the step of injecting a drug into a human body via a catheter or a drug-injecting tube. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,953,565 and 5,007,438 also disclose the technique of percutaneous absorption of medicaments by the aid of ultrasonic vibration. It is also reported that a tumor can be remedied by concentratedly applying ultrasound from outside the body.
In order to enhance the therapeutic effects with ultrasound, it is required to apply a high energy ultrasonic vibration. However, ultrasonic vibration at an energy that is too high causes disadvantageously burns or unnecessary heat at the portion other than the desired portion. On the other hand, when the energy of an ultrasonic vibration is lowered for eliminating such disadvantages, there is a problem of less effect of the ultrasound at the desired portion.
The present inventors have intensively studied enhancing the effects of ultrasound at a lower energy of an ultrasonic vibration and have found that a booster comprising a plurality of microbubbles of a gas in a liquid is useful for the desired enhancement of the effects of ultrasound.
An object of the invention is to provide a booster useful for enhancing the effects of ultrasound which comprises a plurality of microbubbles of a gas in a liquid. Another object of the invention is to provide a pharmaceutical liquid composition containing the booster and a medicament which is useful for the therapy of various diseases together with the application of ultrasound. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for enhancing the effects by the application of ultrasound in the therapy of various diseases which comprises injecting the booster or the pharmaceutical liquid composition as set forth above into the portion to be remedied while applying ultrasound thereto. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.